


crashing tides

by fableknot



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Multi, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 01:25:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13330536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fableknot/pseuds/fableknot
Summary: Rey confronts her demons for the last time.





	crashing tides

Silence followed Rey down the shaft of the First Order ship. Her reflection stared back at her from the surface of the door, reminding her of the Dark Side's temptations in the cavern on Ahch-To. There were whispers then that taunted and picked at her insecurities. Yet she could feel nothing but a strange calm as the door slid open, exposing Kylo Ren as he stood by the foot of his throne.

Power manifested from the hilt of her lightsaber as she stared into his eyes. She could see conviction where there was not. Clarity where there was conflict. His weapon activated in reply. No words were exchanged between the pair. None were necessary. They had both decided their path.

She started moving, faster and faster down the bridge connecting to the platform. He could have tried to use the Force to bend her to his will, but he didn't. His lightsaber braced in front of him, he poised on his feet, and she threw all her weight into the swing.

Their blades crackled and hissed upon impact. They drew back from each other, and struck. Again, and again, and again. In one of them, her rhythm faltered. Her lightsaber wasn't positioned quite right. He almost penetrated her guard, heat searing towards her neck, but she dropped into a crouch, aiming a blow at his legs.

The fabric around his thigh tore, but he leapt back. His eyes glanced down for a moment, as if considering just how close he was to being dismembered, before meeting her eyes and raising a brow.

Rey smiled. She wasn't the same person who fought against him on the dreadnaught. She had learned far more than what Luke taught her and what Kylo Ren himself promised. She raised her hand, wrenching his throne from its foundation, and hurled it towards him.

He turned, open-palmed, to stop it in its tracks. When he finally faced her, his eyes were wide.

Silence was all she heard when her lightsaber pierced his torso.

"It's over," she said, her voice pitched little higher than a whisper. She wouldn't let herself look away from the anger, the hope, the dreams that came and went from his face. From the moment she slammed the door of the Millennium Falcon between them—no, from the moment he offered her to take the place at his side, she had carved out the part of her heart that still believed in his redemption. Like Darth Vader had done to Anakin Skywalker, Kylo Ren had killed Ben Solo, who may have once deserved sympathy.

She withdrew her blade, and the new Supreme Leader of the First Order fell. Perhaps he would know peace at last, the only mercy she could allow.

_"Rey."_

She whirled, her eyes suddenly blurry as she recognized Rose, Poe—and Finn. They happily charged at her, and she bubbled over with laughter when she felt Finn bundle her in a warm embrace. Rose and Poe joined in as well.

"I thought I told you not to follow me here," Rey admonished, even though she wanted nothing more than their company after everything that's happened. "Didn't I say I could handle it?"

"We never doubted you for a second," Rose piped, "but something's changed. We came to warn you that…"

Rose was gazing past her, and the other two were doing the same. Rey had never seen them look so terrified in her entire life.

Her spine went rigid, her senses honing in on whatever was at her back. "That what?" she asked as she brought herself around.

Hundreds of masses were flying up the sides of the platform. The rotting smell of fish permeated the air. Feathery creatures of grey, orange, and white climbed on top of each other, one after another, to form one enormous being. Black curtains ripped from the walls to surround it, stitching together into a hooded cloak.

"No," Rey breathed.

The squawks and cries merged into a unified voice. "You have done well, young one."

Rey shook her head, shrinking away from the terrible reality before her. "No," she said louder.

In an absurd way, it made sense. They were everywhere. Always following, always watching. They had spied on Luke's activities. They had gained Chewie's trust. They had infiltrated the rebels' remaining refuge.

The silence was gone now, replaced by the endless screams in her mind.

"I'm sorry," Poe said. "We tried to stop them, but we barely made it out alive. The Resistance..." He swallowed. "We're all that's left."

"No," Rey said. "It's no one's fault but mine."

For the last of the Sith had revealed themselves to be... the Porgs.

**Author's Note:**

> I was happy with reading Star Wars fanfiction, certain I couldn't contribute anything meaningful, until someone decided to brainstorm crack with me. You know who you are. I slid it under the Multi category, because if you squint, you can see my OT3. | This story was last updated on April 1, 2018.


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